James Caan, CEO of private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw, has been building and selling businesses since 1985 in various sectors including publishing, HR, recruitment, software and franchising.

James set up Hamilton Bradshaw in 2004 to address a gap in the private equity market, in the first 24 months it had investments in eight companies, employing over 1000 people and generating revenues of over $800million.

The firm offers investment into businesses looking to expand and feel restrained by conventional banks. This, coupled with business input from James and his team enable organisations to maximise their potential.

Hamilton Bradshaw is now launching in Pakistan where James feels private equity will benefit the economy enormously.

With a turnover of $200 million and operations in some 30 countries, James' is an incredible success story. A graduate of Harvard Business School 's prestigious Advanced Management Programme, James was named PricewaterhouseCoopers Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 and also won the Entrepreneur category in the Asian Jewel Awards the same year. In 2005 he was named as one of Britain 's 100 most influential and inspiring Asian people in the Asian Power 100 publication, launched in central London in front of a gathering that included many of the biggest names in British business.

James made his name in the executive head hunting field with his company the Alexander Mann Group, which he headed from 1985 to 2002. It  ecame one of the UK's leading recruitment companies. James sold the company in 2002, enrolling at Harvard University for a well-earned gap year.

James' business expertise is widely sought after by academic institutions. Most recently he has addressed MBA students at London Business School as well as elite students at Oxford University's Said Business School.

James lives in London and has homes in the South of France and Lahore , Pakistan. Married with two teenage daughters, he lists sailing, tennis, cinema and dining out among his hobbies.